The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-07-14
A RESPONSIBILITY SHIFTED.

he strangle the Union at It's BIRTH
Thomas Jefferson denounced slavery and
foreSaw the conflict which it WAS certain
to produce, and yet he left it bloody leg
acy to his children. We have met and
decided these issues forever by our ya'or !;
because we were not afraid to determine
what we saw to be an irrepresslble conflict.
1t was better a thousand times that the
perpetuity of the Union should be staked
upon the hazard of such a contest, and the
question Of its destruction Or continuance
should be settled forever, than that, with
these vital and harrassing questions unde
cided, it should have been permitted to
continue Sickly and uncertain existence.
The men who framed the Union had
it in their power to make it perfect and
perpetual union. The men who preached
liberty had it in their power to practice
freedom to all mankind. They could
have done both without bloodshed then.
They never did. They left it to US to test
the question whether these pledges were
truths or falsehoods. We will transmit
to our children Union without doubt OF
falsehood in it's written Constitution.
And in this I claim that we have proved
ourselves infinitely Drawer than our fore
fathers.
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
"ln wealth we are SO far advanced BE-
You'd their most ardent dream of prosper
lty that there is no comparison. Whether
that wealth shall be permanent rests
largely with ourselves. The prosperity of
this country has no parallel in ancient or
modern history. The wealth of our land
is not massed in privileged classes, but
more evenly diffused than in any Of the
ancient commonwealth and our surest
safeguard is that it is locked in the vault
OF no drone and guarded by the power of
no castle, but is attainable by every man
in the United States.
I'VE hear much of the power and
danger of monopoly on the one hand and
OF organized labor on the other. Gloomy
forebodings of antagonism between labor
and capital is the favorite topic with that
class OF men who are always seeking a
storm in the midst of sunshine. For my
self, | see no serious cause OF apprehen-
sion. The power Of capital is great, ul-
doubleday, under any circumstances. The
discomfort of some portions of society is
but the experience Of all thickly populated
communities in the history of all times.
Just at this point the State House bell
tolled the hour Of II, and Mr.. Wise paused.
When the sound had died away Mr.. Wise
said
dos AiiAtrs balfal ID SzObu dttSQly IUI tilG
occasion. In old times, at each recurring
hour from yonder tower went forth the
sound, and from down here to the gallery
went up Waterman, what Of the night p
And back came the answer, All is we'll y
And 1t was just after such an episode that
from that tower rung forth the news
of CORVALLIS surrender at Yorktown.
Applause. 1t was just at the moment
when l spoke OF the only speck on our
horizon that the silver tongue of yonder
bell gave back the answer All is we'll =
Applause.
Where, in all history, is there an ex-
ample of capital so i'll protected in it's ex-
actions, so bound by its necessities aud
Surroundings to make concessions to labor
as il our own land? On the other hand,
where in all history has labor been so
bound up III its interests with capital as
here ? Where has the laborer had it in his
power to become the capitalist as here !?
Where has the diversity of employment,
and community of interest with capital,
been SO great? Where has the intelli-
gence of the working classes been equal to
that Of our own people? With such new
conditions, such strong motives against
provoking violence with the conservative
feeling towards capital in the breast of
every leader Of labor-growing out OF his
CONSCIOUSNESS that it is possible that he
may himself be one day rich with a pa
triotic feeling, operating alike upon the
capitalist and the laborer, from their com
mon share i'll the Government feeling
which did not and does not exist in any
other government than our own, and | do
not fear for the results.
Amid the republics of the Old World
some tutelary divinity was supposed to pre-
side over and direct the destinies of each.
In France, just at the same time our own
republic was formed. the Goddess of
Reason was by that mercurlal people en-
th0rned. Our own fair land at its birth
turned from the superstitions of the past,
rejected the scepticism Of the Gaul, and,
led by the greatest man that ever lived,
was taught from his pure and stainless
lips the sentiment that religion and moral
ity are the indispensable supports which
lead to political prosperity. The results
speak more elOquently than human tongue.
The dead gods of heather superstition
have tumbled in decay from their tripods
and the dust Of their empires is mingled
until their very identity is lost. The God
dess of Reason, uncontrolled by the two
great governors of human action, yielded
her empire after brief and bloody rule.
THE STRENGTH OF THE COUNTRY.
I'VE worship atthe throne of no heather
god, it is true. We repudiate the N odern
goddess Of godlessness nevertheless a
giant, young and lusty, to-day bestrldes
this Northern continent like a Colossus.
In his loins is the twisted strength of eight
million tOiling men. His Drawn and bone
are as the unWearing BeSSemer Of our
thousand railroads. On his brow is the
iron crown of material triumphs, which
are numberless. From his outstretched
arm the lightning flashes of electrical dis
covery are dancing with weird untold
meaning. In his eye is beaming the con-
seriousness of power and possibilities be-
You'd all human attainment III the past.
His brain. untrammeled by effete dogma
and prejudice, is thrObbing with the best
and freest thought Of an era of unpre-
cedented mental activity. All this is we
enough if we, to whom the task is given,
shall sac that his heart grows apace with
his body and that it is kept pure and true
to the first principles OF tie Declaration
of Independence
And now, my fellow citizens you have
perhaps been surprised that have not be-
fore now referred to our military record
Perhaps that is not satisfactory to some
Of my audience. Perhaps my feelings on
that subject are peculiar. If | could blot
it out if | could tear from the history
of America the chapter which records her
military deeds, and efface them from the
memory of her people, / would be noble
benefactor Of our nation for great and
glorious as vera our early martial trl-
umphs splendid as IS the record of our
valor, individual and collective, the sad
dest page of our history, that believed
with more tears than all the rest, is the
one containing the CHASTITY epitome that
Of 2783 battles fought upon American soil
since the Declaration Of Independence
1861 were waged in the intestine shock
and furious close of civil butchery," 1t
beho0ves us as patriots to try to forget
and forgive, as far as may be, rather than
TO glorify his greatest blot upon our
glorious record. 1t behooves every man
who loves this land to hide away the flags